Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 169: The Price of Defiance

"I’m fine... I’m fine. Sorry. I really am."

He forced a small smile at Ragar, who gazed at him with concern.

He wasn’t sure if he was saying that for Ragar’s sake or for himself.

One step.

Then another.

Slowly, he moved forward and stopped before what was once his mother.

Lowering himself to his knees, he clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

This wasn’t quite a prayer.

More like a moment to steel himself—to set his resolve.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to examine the body.

They had said it was preserved exactly as it had been at the moment of death.

So he needed to view it as if this were the very moment she had died.

"Yori... Did my mother drink the poison herself?"

"Huh? Ah, yes. Given the circumstances, it’s safe to conclude it was suicide. However... she wouldn’t have been able to obtain the poison on her own. It’s highly likely she had an accomplice."

An accomplice.

Had they merely assisted her in taking her own life?

Or had they forced her to?

His gaze drifted downward as unsettling thoughts crept into his mind.

His mother’s face was frozen in an expression of sheer agony.

Just looking at her twisted features made his own chest tighten painfully.

His mother had hated pain.

She detested suffering.

She loathed even the smallest needle pricks and had rarely participated in embroidery, a common pastime for noblewomen, just to avoid them.

Would she have willingly chosen such an excruciating way to die?

Or had she simply lacked knowledge about poison?

Had she believed poison would grant her a painless death?

"What kind of poison did she take?"

His thoughts wandered, almost as if in denial.

Poison is terrifying... to change a person’s skin color so drastically...

He turned to Yori, who hesitated before answering in a quiet voice.

"...It’s a highly lethal toxin commonly used in torture."

"A cruel one, at that. After ingestion, the victim suffers unbearable pain for several minutes but is unable to die immediately. The agony continues... until time itself finally claims them."

Rocco gasped at those words.

So his mother had died alone in this dark prison cell, writhing in agony until her final breath?

...No, this was inevitable.

In the original story, his mother had met a cruel fate at Sylas’s hands.

The details had been left vague, but it was clear she had suffered a miserable death.

Still, seeing that ending play out in reality shattered any acceptance or understanding he thought he had.

A storm of confusion and pain threatened to swallow him whole.

Desperate to escape it, he tore his gaze away from his mother’s corpse.

It was obvious he was avoiding it, but to calm the turmoil in his chest, he blurted out the first question that came to mind.

"Then... does that mean her ’accomplice’ deliberately gave her that poison?"

"...That’s what we suspect so far. Using such a vicious toxin... it’s as if they wanted to savor her suffering."

Then it was possible his mother had been tricked into drinking the poison.

If her so-called accomplice was that cruel, manipulating her into taking her own life must have been easy.

After all, she had been a typical noble lady—ignorant and easy to deceive.

Whoever led her to her death must have felt no attachment to her at all.

"Why... Why did they kill her?"

Why had his mother been murdered?

In the original story, it was Sylas who had orchestrated her downfall—or rather, the entire Di Malvento family.

They were furious over how she had tormented Sylas.

Because of that, Rocco had never imagined she could be killed by anyone outside the Di Malvento household.

So who was this unknown variable, and why had they needed her dead?

As those thoughts spun endlessly in his mind, a firm, resolute voice suddenly echoed from the prison’s open doorway.

"Because she was a disposable pawn."

The familiar voice snapped Rocco’s head up.

Standing there, pushing past a visibly pale and trembling Yori, was Sylas, looking exasperated, and Laxus who is grinning from ear to ear.

"W-Why are you two here?!"

"Why? Rocco, your actions are way too predictable. It was obvious where you’d end up."

"...You really do love charging ahead on your own, don’t you?"

The scolding, the knowing smirks—he had seen this before.

Frustrated, Rocco clenched his fists and growled, "Guh...!"

...

"Mueeehh! I’m sowwy nyaaa!"

"Reflect on your actions, Rocco. You were told this place was off-limits. And yet, you threatened your way in? What a bad child."

Being scolded by Sylas right next to a corpse—this situation was beyond chaotic.

Lying face-down on Sylas’s lap, he felt a series of light pats against his little butt.

How long had he been stuck in this ridiculous punishment?

At first, it had seemed like they were about to enter a serious crime scene investigation—just like in a detective novel.

But just before that shift in tone, Sylas had mercilessly declared, "Before anything else, punishment first."

And thus, the humiliating spanking time began.

Not that it hurt or anything.

The slaps weren’t strong enough to cause pain—just enough to create a crisp pat pat sound that echoed through the room.

It was purely an embarrassment tactic.

And it was working.

Tears streamed down Rocco’s face like a waterfall, long past the point of stopping.

By the time Sylas finally released him, he was utterly drained, slumping forward like a deflated balloon.

"Have you learned your lesson, Rocco? What do you do before taking any action?"

"B-before taking any action... I report to Big Brother..."

"Good. What a well-behaved child. I am always prepared to grant your requests, Rocco. But before sneaking off and putting yourself in danger, you must come to me first. Understood?"

This time, instead of more pats on the backside, Sylas gently stroked Rocco’s head.

Feeling comforted, Rocco relaxed and sniffled, he nodded his head with teary eyes.

"Y-yeah... I got it..."